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LIBRARY I 



E Presented by Mrs. Atterbury. 

| From Uhraru .of ■ Rev. John G..Atterburu,D.D. 3 



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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
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THE 



LAW OF THOUGHT. 



BY 



REV. JOHN LEVINGTON. 



"As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Prov. xxiii. 7. 
"Hear, and your soul shall live." Isaiah lv. 3. 
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of 
God." Rom. x. 17. 
See, also, Matt. xiii. 15. 



DAYTON, OHIO. 

United. Bretliren Pixlblisliiiig Horase, 

1872. 



SFffel 
,U5 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by 

REV. JOHN LEVINGTON, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 

Exchange 
Univ. of Mich. 
AUG 8 - 1933 



CONTENTS- 



PAGE. 

Introduction . 7 



CHAPTER I. 

All motion the result of mental action — Contrary 
theories examined, and their weak and godless char- 
acter exposed 11 

CHAPTER II. 

Mind and matter further considered and direct argu- 
ment offered — Direct and indirect divine interposition 
distinguished, and instances given in illustration. 19 

CHAPTER III. 

Good and evil, both natural and moral, result from men- 
tal action; moral evil the direct, and natural evil the 
indirect result of mental action — Scripture quoted in 
proof — Moral evil could not enter this world save by 
a moral agent belonging thereto — Nature and extent of 



IV CONTENTS. 

the evil thus introduced — Moral evil could not be 
introduced by force 27 

CHAPTER ;iV. 

While mind moves everything, thought moves mind— • 
Mental action is the result of thought, otherwise it 
would not be intelligent action — While thought moves 
me to action, it does not deprive me of power to choose 
and reject as I please— Facts introduced in illustra- 
tion — Scripture teaching in harmony with such facts— 
Whether the action is right or wrong, it is the result 
of thought c... t 33 

CHAPTER V. 

Feelings, desires, etc., the result of thought— Mind does 
not receive or lose its essential properties either by 
connection or disconnection with the body — Ways in 
which thoughts are communicated to the mind— In- 
stances given in illustration, and the positions estab- 
lished with the certainty of fact . 40 

CHAPTER VI. 

Love and hatred, hope and fear, joy and sorrow, com- 
placence and disgust* approval and disapproval, with 
their corresponding actions* are all the result of 
thought — The bodily senses are only the mediums 
through which thoughts are communicated to the 
mind — You can not communicate moral ideas to mree 
animals, not because they lack bodily senses, but be- 
cause they lack mind — Scripture _and fact adduced — 



CONTENTS. V 

We may be forced to hear and see, but can not be 
forced to approve the thoughts thus presented — By- 
choosing our position and company we may to a large 
extent determine what our thoughts shall be — Origin 
of moral evil — No thought, whether good or bad, is 
mine till I adopt it— The assumption that mind is 
forced is fully considered and refuted 49 

CHAPTER VII. 

Order of thinking, feeling, and acting — How habits are 
formed and the character molded — Thought the final 
cause of all — "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he," 
not as he saith 60 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Various types of character presented — Six different 
types of character in six children of the same parents 
— The types of character produced by different re- 
ligious schools — Outlines of character impressed both 
easily and unalterably at an early age— Instances are 
given — Even conversion and inspiration do not wholly 
remove the outlines thus impressed 64 

CHAPTER.3X. 

How the character is formed in the home and in the 
public school — Unalterable outlines are impressed 
upon the mind as early as the age of six or seven 
years — Instances given — Parents, guardians, and 
teachers should appear, speak, look, and act in a way 
calculated to convey thoughts which produce the best 



/ 



VI CONTENTS. 

type of character — It is a mistake to suppose that 
loud and angry words are necessary to command 
obedience, 74 



CHAPTER X. 

What is said to be hereditary is considered, and mistakes 
pointed out — Thoughts produce mental, moral, and 
physical comeliness and uncomeliness — Divine teach- 
ing and grace essential — Both the original and the 
new man are God's workmanship — The true character 
is supernatural both in its nature and bestowment — 
Human agency and divine truth are employed to this 
end — The difference between revealed and what is 
called natural religion pointed out 79 

CHAPTER XL 
The use and limitation of reason in religion ., 85 



INTRODUCTION 



Although the propositions discussed in the following 
pages are somewhat metaphysical, yet I think almost 
everything is made easy of comprehension. The 
application, too, is exceedingly practical, and is ex- 
tended to every class of society and to every depart- 
ment of life, from the child to the individual of 
advanced years, and from the most humble to the most 
elevated pursuits. In short, the application extends as 
far as mind and thought and the various and numerous 
results of their operations. Mind moves everything, 
and thought moves mind. As are the thoughts, such 
are the motions and emotions. Good and evil, both 
natural and moral, result from the action of mind; the 
latter the direct, the former the indirect result. Sin 
could not be introduced into this world save by a moral 
agent belonging thereto. It is further shown that 
moral evil could not be introduced by force. While 
thoughts move mind, they do not destroy the power of 
choice ; if they did, the action would neither be intel- 
ligent nor moral. Nor can that be intelligent action 
which is not the result of thought. The conclusions 
throughout are supported by scripture and fact. 

It is shown that neither connection with the body nor 



Vlll INTRODUCTION. 

any state of the body, gives to or takes from mind any 
essential property. Notice is taken of the various ways 
in which thoughts are communicated or presented to the 
mind, together with the results. Interesting illustra- 
tions are given. We may be forced to hear or see, but 
we can not be forced either to approve or receive the 
thoughts thus presented. The eye and ear do not re- 
ceive, approve, or disapprove thoughts ; they are only 
the mediums, the avenues, through which the thoughts 
are communicated or presented to the mind. Hence 
moral thoughts can not be communicated to mere ani- 
mals, though their hearing and seeing are as good as 
are those of men, because they have no minds to re- 
ceive such thoughts. But although we can not be 
forced to adopt the thoughts presented, a position 
favorable to the presentation of evil thoughts and 
unfavorable to the presentation of good thoughts is 
to be avoided with the utmost care, and a contrary 
position sought with the greatest diligence. In sup- 
port of these conclusions, scripture and facts are in 
overwhelming profusion. 

The order of thinking, feeling, and acting is distinct- 
ly pointed out, and thought shown to be the final 
cause of all. a As he thinketh in his heart so is he." 
Thus it is that the habits are formed and the character 
molded. Various types of character are noticed, 
and all shown to be the result of the thoughts com- 
municated. The early period at which such types of 
character are formed and the extent to which they are 
or are not alterable, are shown to be matters of startling 
importance. Hence the care with which the young 



INTRODUCTION. IX 

mind should be guarded and instructed in the family, 
the social circles, and the schools. 

What is said to be hereditary is considered, and mis- 
takes are pointed out. Thoughts are shown to be the 
final cause of mental, moral, and physical uncomeliness. 
Divine teaching and grace are shown to be essential. 
Both the original and the new man are alike God's 
workmanship. The true character is supernatural, 
both in its nature and bestowment, but human agency 
and divine truth are employed in its formation. The 
difference between revealed and what is called natural 
religion is distinctly pointed out. 

The last chapter is considered in harmony with the 
propositions previously discussed. It treats of the 
use and limitation of what is called reason in relig- 
ious matters. Both the use and the limitation, it is 
believed, are distinctly pointed out, and very important 
conclusions are reached, embracing equally important 
practical applications. 

John Levington. 

Detroit, July 4, 1872. 



CHAPTER I. 

All motion the result of mental action— Contrary theories 
examined, and their weak and godless character ex- 
posed. 

All motion is produced by the action of mind 
or spirit, either directly or indirectly. Mere 
matter can not move itself; it is absolutely and 
essentially inert. Knowing that this fact, if 
admitted, would prove fatal to their various 
forms of skepticism, infidels have attempted 
to prove the contrary. But an intelligent and 
impartial examination of such attempts will 
result, I am convinced, in a still deeper convic- 
tion that their antiscriptural theories, and their 
various attempts to defend such theories, are 
alike unworthy of confidence, or even of re- 
spect. For instance, having assumed the 
eternity of matter, they next attempt to 
account for such indisputable facts as arrange- 
ment, organization, and life. To this end the 
whole is referred to such deities as fate, chance, 
and necessity. Becoming dissatisfied with these 



12 THE LAW 

imaginary deities, the "atom" theory was 
adopted. But as the "atom" was only another 
imaginary deity, it too became unsatisfactory 
and was abandoned, or rather another name 
was given to the old heathen deities, namely, 
"organic molecules," or "internal molds ;" and 
for a time these newly-invented deities were 
worshiped, and received credit for the exist- 
ence of alhthe phenomena referred to. Buffon 
and the infidels of his school were among 
the most devout worshipers of the gods last 
named; and they were all philosophers, of 
course. But this sublime nonsense was far 
from being satisfactory to all the savants; 
hence the "monad" theory was and still is 
adopted by some. "According to Leibnitz 
the elementary particles of matter are vital 
forces not acting mechanically, but from an 
internal principle. They are incorporeal or 
spiritual atoms, inaccessible to all change from 
without, but subject to internal movement. 
This hypothesis he explains in a treatise en- 
titled Monadology. He thought inert matter 
insufficient to explain the phenomena of body, 
and had recourse to the entelechies. of Aristotle, 
or the substantial forms of the scholastic 



OF THOUGHT. 13 

philosophy, conceiving of them as primitive 
forces, constituting the substance of matter, 
atoms of substance but not of matter, real 
and absolute unities, metaphysical points, full 
of vitality, exact as mathematical points, and 
real as physical points. These substantial 
unities which constitute matter are of a nature 
inferior to spirit and soul, but they are imper- 
ishable, although they may undergo trans- 
formation. Leibnitz conceived the whole 
"universe, bodies as well as minds, to be made 
up of monads." (Fleming's Vocabulary, Art. 
Monad.) 

Now, if this theory differs from the pre- 
ceding, saving in a change of terms, I fail to 
see it, unless, indeed, that here "confusion is 
worse confounded." Leibnitz admits matter 
to be inert, and seems to distinguish between 
it and mind, yet he claims "the whole universe, 
bodies as well as minds, to be made up of 
monads/' and these monads are "elementary 
particles of matter," and they are the "vital 
forces," which produce the entire "phenom- 
ena." Hence his "monadology" begins, con- 
tinues, and ends in mere materialism. In- 
deed it is acknowledged that he adopts the 



14 THE LAW 

Aristotelian principle; and it is well known 
that Aristotle asserted the eternity of the 
material universe, in form as well as in sab- 
stance. In short, the sum of all this learned 
nonsense may be put into a nutshell, thus : cer- 
tain "atoms," "internal molds" or "organic 
molecules," "elementary particles of matter or 
vital forces," are the producers of all the 
organism, order, and life in the universe ; and 
they themselves are mere matter, and are 
eternal, as is the universe of which they are 
the "vital forces," "primitive forces ;" and "the 
changes which the monad undergoes, of what 
kind soever, though they may seem to us the 
effect of causes operating from without, are 
only the gradual and successive evolutions of 
its own internal powers which would have 
produced the same changes and motions, 
although there had been no other being in the 
universe." Inasmuch as "minds," as well as 
"bodies," are said "to be made up of monads," 
these monads are said to be "endowed with 
certain active and perceptive powers. A 
monad, therefore, is an active substance, sim- 
ple, without parts or figure, which has within 
itself the power to produce all the changes it 



OF THOUGHT. 15 

undergoes from the beginning of its existence 
to all eternity." It follows, according to this 
monadology, that these monads, or little gods, 
have done, are doing, and will do all the work, 
and that "to eternity." Hence it is of no con- 
sequence whether there is or is not another 
God, for there is nothing for him to do, seeing 
that these little monadologicalgods do, and ever 
will do, all the work. These be your gods, O phi- 
losophers ! It is of no manner of use, however, to 
concern ourselves about these little gods, either 
one way or another, for they are "primitive 
forces," "real and absolute unities, metaphys- 
ical points, full of vitality, exact as mathe- 
matical points, and real as physical points," 
and their operations and evolutions can not be 
changed by any moral act of ours, whether 
good or bad. "The changes which the monad 
undergoes, of what kind soever, though they 
may seem to us the effect of causes, operating 
from without, are only the gradual and succes- 
sive evolutions of its own eternal powers, 
which would have produced all the same 
changes and motions, although there had been 
no other being in the universe." It is evident, 
then, that this monadology is like Aristotle's 



16 THE LAW 

demonstration, namely, "that which is, must 
be as it is, and can not be otherwise;" 
for it is claimed, observe, "minds, as well as 
bodies," are "made up of" these "monads," 
even "the whole universe," and nothing 
"operating from without" themselves can at 
all change or affect their "evolutions." Now 
take away from this monadology the mere 
verbiage, the accumulation of technical and 
high-sounding terms, and you have nothing left 
but materialistic necessity without a covering. 
Nor do I see any real difference between this 
monadology and Hume's argument against 
the possibility of miraculous or supernatural 
events, the substance of which is this : "It is 
contrary to experience that a miracle should 
be true." Here he simply assumes that no 
miraculous or supernatural event ever did 
take place, and consequently, that prophets, 
apostles, and all others who have borne testi- 
mony to such events, have done so contrary to 
their own experience, and were, therefore, all 
of them, hypocrites, liars, deceivers, and im- 
postors. And having assumed all this, he 
jumps to the conclusion that a supernatural 
event never can take place. Such is Hume's 



OF THOUGHT. 17 

famous argument when divested of its mere 
verbiage and sophistry. For my part, I 
never could see for what it was famous, 
unless it was for its bold assertions and as- 
sumptions. But I design simply to call atten- 
tion to the fact that Hume's infidelity and 
Leibnitz's monadology equally exclude the 
supernatural, and so do the other theories 
referred to ; and we may add, so do most of 
the geological and cosmological theories of the 
present day. And all this sort of thing is 
called philosophy, and as such is much ad- 
mired. To all this I very much prefer the 
teachings of revelation, and must still look 
out upon the universe as the "work which 
God created and madeP "For by him were 
all things created, that are in heaven, and that 
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether 
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, 
or powers: all things were created by him, and 
for him : and he is before all things, and by 
him all things consist." The same authority 
teaches me that this "God is nigh unto all who 
call upon him in truth ;" that "in him we live, 
and move, and have our being." Compared 
with such teaching, accompanied, as it is, with 
2 



18 



THE LAW 



overwhelming evidence, and enforced by in- 
finite authority, monadology and the other 
theories which substitute "atoms" and "mole- 
cules" for God Almighty sink into driveling 
nonsense, and become detestable. Mind, not 
matter, is the final cause of all motion. 



OF THOUGHT. 19 



CHAPTER II. 

Mind and matter further considered and direct argu- 
ment offered — Direct and indirect divine interposition 
distinguished, and instances given in illustration. 

Now, in opposition to all the absurd con- 
jectures of materialistic theorists, and at the 
risk of being pronounced incurably ignorant, 
we repeat the assertion, that all motion is 
produced by the action of mind or spirit, 
either directly or indirectly. Mere matter can 
not move itself; it is absolutely and essentially 
inert. Whether it have the solidity of the 
granite rock, the elasticity of air, or the tenui- 
ty of the nebula, the fact is the same, it can 
not move itself — it is still inert. There are 
certain phenomena which to the superficial 
observer may seem to be at variance with our 
position, but closer observation will seldom 
fail to discover the illusion. For instance, 
produce a vacuum, and then remove the pro- 
ducing cause: the result is, the surrounding 
air rushes into the vacuum, and equilibrium 



20 THE LAW 

being restored, all is quiet; and that quiet 
remains till again disturbed. But you say, 
"The air of itself rushed into the vacuum.'* 
Of itself ! This is only one of numerous 
instances wherein improper language leads 
us astray. The air did nothing of itself, the 
formation of the vacuum was the cause of the 
motion from first to last ; but the air could not 
produce a vacuum in itself, it was mind that 
did that. That the air could not produce a 
vacuum in itself is made evident by the single 
fact that the vacuum could not continue a mo- 
ment longer than the producing cause contin- 
ued, in other words, it could not of itself 
continue the vacuum a single moment, much 
less produce it. In all these movements the 
air was perfectly passive; and what is true 
with regard to this given portion of air is true 
of all the circumambient air — true of all air. 
"We conclude, therefore, that all the varied 
motion of air is produced by the action of 
mind, directly or indirectly. By these two 
words, when referred to the infinite mind, I 
desire to distinguish between those direct in- 
terpositions by which immediate results are 
produced and those acts by which arrange- 



OF THOUGHT. 21 

ments are made to bring about the same or 
similar results. By the latter I mean the 
regular winds of the different seasons, by the 
former I mean such a wind as that mentioned 
in Jonah i. 4. "But the Lord sent out a great 
wind into the sea, and there was a mighty 
tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like 
to be broken." The words natural and super- 
natural are very properly employed for the 
same purpose. The work is said to be super- 
natural when it is done independent of natural 
agents, or when such agents are used in a 
supernatural way, as in the case of Jonah, and 
also when the wind was supernaturally em- 
ployed to prepare a way for the Israelites 
through the Red Sea. The following may be 
regarded as an instance in the natural order : 
"He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the 
hoar-frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice 
like morsels : who can stand before his cold ? 
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them : 
he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters 
flow." Now, in all these instances, whether 
in the natural or supernatural order, mind is 
the efficient agent, and the rushing air in its 
onward sweep the passive instrument, just as 



22 THE LAW 

much so as in the case of the vacuum, in 
which case human mind was the efficient 
agent. And here we see how the human 
mind may interfere with the order established 
by the Infinite Mind; but when the Infinite 
Mind acts absolutely, then there is no resist- 
ance, either by mind or matter. Of the wit- 
nesses to this fact also, the Israelites, the 
Egyptians, Jonah, the whale, the winds, and 
the seas, are only a few. 

Again ; place water upon an inclined plane, 
and it will fall into the place beneath ; lift a 
stone in your hand and raise it to a given hight, 
then open your hand, and it will fall to the 
earth. You say the water or the stone drop- 
ped, fell, or moved from the one place to the 
other. But mind was the cause even of that 
motion, for it was mind that raised them to 
the positions from which they fell, otherwise 
they had never been there. The water and 
the stone could not raise themselves, and 
their fall, instead of proving self-motion, 
proves just the contrary, as in the case of 
the vacuum. You say all this is very simple, 
very plain ; and so it is. But why? I answer, 
because you are capable of investigating this 



OF THOUGHT. 23 

much ; and were you equally capable of inves- 
tigating all the phenomena of motion, you 
would see with equal clearness that of all 
motion mind is the moving cause. And just as 
sure as this is true, just so sure it is true that 
previous to mind there could neither be mo- 
tion nor being. Hence if there be such things 
as "organic molecules/ 9 " atoms," and "mon- 
ads," it was mind that gave them their being, 
and their motion, too, if they have any. 

From my window I see the steam-engine 
dashing along its iron track, and dragging 
after it a long train of cars; and I am told steam 
drives it. But the truth is, it is mind that has 
moved and still moves every ounce of matter 
there in motion. It was mind that built the 
road, the engine, and the ears ; mind that set 
in motion all that moves ; and it is mind that 
continues that motion. If you doubt this, 
just let that mind now controlling and guiding 
the steam leap from the engine, and leave the 
steam uncontrolled and unguided, and you will 
soon have awful proof of the truth in question. 
It will not be long till every ounce of matter 
in that moving mass shall be motionless ; and 
the steam itself, which mind had created, con- 



24 THE LAW 

fined, and controlled, will soon be as motionless 
as the solid iron, having quickly returned to 
water, from which it had been generated by 
mind. 

See, again ; there are three grist-mills, with 
their extensive and complicated machinery all 
in motion ; and the white flour is falling into 
the place prepared for it. We are told that water 
drives the one, steam the other, and wind the 
other. But if mind had not been at work, the 
mills and their motion had never existed ; and 
if mind does not continue to work, every ounce 
of matter in those mills w T ill soon be as motion- 
less as the shattered engine and cars in the 
case previously supposed. So evident is it 
that mind is the mover of all that moves. 
And if this is not seen as clearly with regard 
to all the complicated motions throughout 
the universe, as it is with regard to the mo- 
tions here referred to, it is simply because we 
are not now capable of extending our investi- 
gations to the more distant and complicated 
motions of the moving universe. But from 
the investigations which we have made or 
may make, from the facts which we do know 
or may know, with regard to the motions 



OF THOUGHT. 25 

within the reach of investigation, we are bound 
to extend legitimate inference to all similar 
motion, though beyond the reach of our pres- 
ent powers of investigation. To know the 
chemical properties of a given body of water, it 
is not necessary to analyze every quart of water 
in that body ; the analysis of a single quart is 
all-sufficient. In like manner, from a just in- 
vestigation of a given amount of motion we 
legitimately and safely conclude with regard 
to all similar motion. Hence, even though 
we could investigate all the motion in the 
material universe as easily and as fully as we 
have investigated a part of that motion, it 
would not be necessary to do so. The fact 
that matter is inert, and that mind is the final 
cause of motion, is already sufficiently estab- 
lished by the investigations already made. 
For instance, there is now before me a piece 
of steel which weighs about three ounces. 
It has had a place on my desk for quite a 
number of years. And all my senses say, as 
they have always said, that it can not move 
itself; it is absolutely and essentially inert. And 
all my intelligence says that no addition, ex- 
tension, or contraction of that matter will 



26 THE LAW 

give it an essential property which it does not 
now possess; nor would such changes deprive 
it of that inertia which is now one of its 
essential properties. By the side of that piece 
of steel lies a piece of tissue paper; and all 
my senses and all my intelligence say that it 
is just as incapable of moving itself as is the 
piece of solid steel, and would be if its tenuity 
were like that of the nebula. Thus all our 
senses, all our intelligence, and all the facts 
within our reach, unite in testifying that mat- 
ter can not move itself, and that mind is the 
final cause of all motion. Hence, to contradict 
this position is to contradict all the senses and 
iill the intelligence of all men. 



OF THOUGHT. 27 



CHAPTER III. 

Good and evil, both natural and moral, result from men- 
tal action ; moral evil the direct, and natural evil the 
indirect result of mental action — Scripture quoted in 
proof — Moral evil could not enter this world save by 
a moral agent belonging thereto — Nature and extent of 
the evil thus introduced — Moral evil could not be 
introduced by force. 

Good, and evil, both natural and moral, result 
from the action of mind. Mere matter has no 
moral quality, and having no action can pro- 
duce none. And as natural evil results from 
moral evil, it follows that if the latter had not 
existed neither had the former. Hence moral 
evil is the direct and natural evil the indirect 
result of mental action. These propositions are 
so obvious that we doubt whether it is necessa- 
ry to offer anything in the shape of proof. It 
may be well, however, to support our propo- 
sitions with a few texts from Scripture, for we 
are not of the number who think an appeal to 
Scripture beneath their dignity as thinkers. 
It will be seen, we think, that the following 
texts support everything that is asserted in the 



28 THE LAW 

above propositions : "Unto the woman he 
said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow. * * * 
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast 
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast 
eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, 
saying, Thou shalt not eat of it : cursed is the 
ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat 
of it all the days of thy life ; thorns also and 
thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and 
thou shalt eat the herb of the field: in the 
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till 
thou return unto the ground; for out of it 
wast thou taken : for dust thou art, and unto 
dust shalt thou return." Gen. iii. 16-19. The 
following inspired exposition and application 
of this whole affair leaves no room either to 
doubt or evade: "By one man sin entered 
into the world, and death by sin ; and so death 
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." 
Sin entered into the world by man, not by 
mere matter, whether organized or unorgan- 
ized, for it has no moral quality, and therefore 
can communicate none; not by the devil, for 
as he did not belong to this world sin could 
not enter by him. He could, and did, present 
evil thought to a moral agent belonging to 



OF THOUGHT. 29 

this world, but it remained in the choice of 
that agent to accept or reject that thought ; nor 
was it possible for sin to enter till the thought 
thus presented was accepted by such moral 
agent. The evil thought thus presented was 
accepted; and thus it was that "sin entered 
into this world, and death by sin." So clear 
it is, that sin could not enter this world, nor 
any other, save by an intelligent being — a 
moral agent belonging thereto. E"ow mark 
the nature and extent of the curse that enter- 
ed by sin. To this end a careful examination 
of the texts quoted above is all that is neces- 
sary. This being done, it will be seen that 
the curse fell upon the man, upon the woman, 
upon the beast, and upon the ground. And the 
terms which are so awfully suggestive of its 
nature and extent are sorrow and death. A 
life of sorrow terminating in death! Here 
we see at a glance that both natural and moral 
evil result from the action of mind, and that 
by such action they entered our world, and 
could enter in no other way. And it is folly, 
worse than folly, to cavil at those inspired 
teachings, for the natural evil is painfully 
apparent in the physical world; and certainly 



30 THE LAW 

the moral evil is not less so in the mental 
world. And we may safely defy any man to 
account for their existence in any other than 
the way here pointed out. To introduce the 
natural evil while all was morally right would 
evidently be at variance with moral rectitude. 
And moral evil could not be introduced by 
force; first, because it results from the ac- 
tion of mind, — and that action must be free, 
otherwise it has no moral quality at all, any 
more than the action of a hammer, or that of 
a sword when wielded by the human hand, and, 
second, because the forcing agent is evident- 
ly the only accountable agent in the supposed 
case, so that if there is moral wrong in the 
forcing act, that wrong remains with the party 
attempting to force. It is not communicated 
or introduced at all; it is not transferred or 
communicated to any other party or place 
whatever. Hence to suppose that moral evil 
was introduced by force of any kind, implies 
contradiction and impossibility; and the sup- 
position that natural evil was introduced be- 
fore moral evil existed, is evidently at variance 
with the moral rectitude of God, and, conse- 
quently, utterly inadmissible. 



OF THOUGHT. 31 

From the conclusions already established it 
evidently follows, of course, that all good re- 
sults from the action of mind. As matter 
has its existence from the creative act of the 
Infinite Mind, and is essentially inert, no good, 
any more than evil, can be attributed to it as 
a final cause. And this, too, is the plain 
teaching of Scripture. "Do not err, my be- 
loved brethren. Every good gift and every 
perfect gift is from above, and cometh down 
from the Father of lights, with whom is no vari- 
ableness, neither shadow of turning." Thus all 
good is attributed to the Infinite Mind as the 
final cause, but no evil. "God can not lie," 
"can not be tempted with evil, neither tempt- 
eth he any man." 

"Evil cloth not from God proceed, 
'Tis only permitted, not decreed ; 
As darkness is not from the sun, 
Nor mount the shades till he is gone." 

Natural evil is from God, as his rod to cor- 
rect, chastise, and punish evil-doers; and that 
evil-doing is the action of created mind, not 
by necessity, or force of any kind, but by 
choice. The fact is, will can not be forced, 
whether in the body or out of it, in time or 



32 THE LAW 

in eternity. The apostate spirit that is "turn- 
ed into hell" does not will that thing any 
more than the criminal on earth wills his own 
capital punishment. Will may be influenced, 
but not forced. The latter always implies a 
palpable contradiction. Moral good, as well as 
evil, results from the action of created mind; 
but of this good, in the case of fallen man, 
grace is the final cause. 



OF THOUGHT. 33 



CHAPTER IV. 

"While mind moves everything, thought moves mind- 
Mental action is the result of thought, otherwise it 
would not be intelligent action- — While thought moves 
me to action, it does not deprive me of power to choose 
and reject as I please— Facts introduced in illustra- 
tion — Scripture teaching in harmony with such facts— 
Whether the action is right or wrong, it is the result 
of thought. 

Having seen that all motion and all good 
and evil result from mental action, we are 
now prepared for the questions, From what 
does mental action result? What moves 
mind? Unquestionably mind is essentially 
active. Action is coeval with its existence 
and co-extensive with its being. Action with- 
out mind and mind without action are alike 
impossible. To cease to act is to cease to be 
mind, and to cease to be mind is to cease to 
be. Mental action is moral action. You can 
no more divest mental action of moral quality 
than you can divest mind of moral nature. 
Moral action must be good or bad, and so 
must moral nature. Indeed the word moral 
3 



34 THE LAW 

is always, when properly used, expressive of 
quality, and such quality as is only predicated 
of mind and the action of mind. Hence mind 
and its action are always morally good or 
morally bad. Good, better, or best, bad, 
worse, or worst, they may be, but we can not 
conceive of them as being neither bad nor 
good. 

From the above conclusions it necessarily 
follows that mind has power to vary its actions, 
and that both as to quantity and quality, oth- 
erwise its action would be the result of neces- 
sity, and could have no moral quality at all. 
We are now speaking of the human mind, of 
course, not of angelic minds or of the spirits 
of the just made perfect, much less of the 
Infinite Mind. In other words, mental action 
is intelligent action, not action without motive, 
cause, reason, or choice, not the action of a 
mere machine. If this were the character of 
mental action, the moral law would be as 
inapplicable to man as it is to a steam-engine. 
I am conscious that I can apply myself to the 
contemplation of any one of several different 
subjects, temporal or spiritual. I am con- 
scious that I can continue that contemplation 



OF THOUGHT. 85 

for a longer or shorter time at pleasure; that 
I can choose whether the subject shall be 
temporal or spiritual; that of several motives 
I can yield to either one ; that these motives 
are the result of thoughts suggested in various 
ways; that these thoughts move my mind to 
action, but do not deprive me of the power to 
choose or reject as I please. The mail-train 
from the west passes my window, and by its 
whistle and the rumbling of its wheels I am 
apprised of the fact. This suggests the 
thought that the mail has arrived; and this 
thought moves me to go to the post-office, but 
it does not force me. I decide, however, that 
I will go, and thus my thinking and acting 
continue. I am conscious that my action is 
the result of thought, and equally conscious 
that I act freely. I am not forced. I know 
I am not, for I feel conscious that I can either 
go or stay; but I go, and feel conscious that I 
do so intelligently and freely. I have returned, 
and have done so of choice, not by force of 
any kind. I am conscious that I could pro- 
long this argument; but I choose not to do so, 
and will simply add a thought which now 
occurs to me, and which I believe is sufficient- 



86 THE LAW 

ly conclusive. Nor does this thought force me 5 
though it moves me to offer the following as a 
conclusive argument. The thought is this: 
God's will made known, accompanied by the 
sanctions of eternal life as the reward of 
obedience, and eternal death as the punish- 
ment of disobedience, certainly affords the 
highest possible motive. It includes the 
promise of all good on the one hand, and the 
threat of all evil on the other. Yet this mo- 
tive is resisted — universally resisted— by the 
children of men. And if the strongest possi- 
ble motive is thus resisted, who will dare to 
say that the weaker motives are irresistible ? 
I claim that this single fact (for it is a fact) is 
conclusive of the motive and w T ill-question. 

Thus it is that thoughts, and the motives 
inseparably connected therewith, move mind, 
but do not deprive it of the power of choice, 
do not force it, but leave it free to vary its 
actions, both as to quantity and quality. In 
other words, mental action is intelligent action^ 
not that of a mere animal, much less that of a 
mere machine. Of all this I am conscious, and 
so is every child of man. Hence, he who op- 
poses this position does so in opposition to his 



OF THOUGHT. 37 

own consciousness and that of every child of 
man, and in opposition to the plainest teach- 
ings of God's word. Nor has he anything 
to offer in favor of such opposition ex- 
cept the merest conjecture. It is a fact, I 
repeat, a fact of observation, a fact of con- 
sciousness, a fact of universal history, a fact 
repeatedly asserted in the inspired word, a 
fact acknowledged by saints and sinners in 
every age and country, that man may act in 
harmony with or in opposition to the revealed 
will of God, which holds out the strongest 
possible motive to a compliance therewith. 
"I called, 5 ' says the Almighty, "and ye refus- 
ed; I have stretched out my hand, and no 
man regarded; but ye have set at naught all 
my counsel, and would none of my reproof." 
Again ; "I would, and ye would not." And 
yet again; "Ye do always resist the Holy 
Ghost : as your fathers did, so do ye." Now 
let not him who thus resists the Almighty 
himself dare to tell me that the most trifling 
thoughts and motives are irresistible — trifling 
as to the objects offered as a substitute for all 
good, but foolish and wicked in themselves as 
opposed to God and all good. Let him not 



38 THE LAW 

tell me, as he really does, that the weakest is 
stronger than the strongest. Moreover, we 
are assured that the grace of God is sufficient, 
and that all-sufficient grace is to be had for the 
asking. But whether I act right or wrong, 
the act is the result of thought. But thinking 
is so rapid, and man is so inattentive to his 
own actions, that he does not, perhaps, in one 
instance out of a hundred, mark the connec- 
tion between his thinking and acting. I am 
conscious, too, that if I diligently seek to 
know the will of God, and make a good use 
of the grace given, I can distinguish between 
the thoughts that are morally right and those 
that are morally wrong, and act accordingly. 
And for this ability God holds me accounta- 
ble, and for no more. We must not fail to 
notice the fact that we have power to turn our 
attention with more or less specialty to carnal 
or spiritual subjects, and thus become "car- 
nally-minded," which "is death," or "spirit- 
ually-minded," which "is life and peace." 
Hence it is evidently by choice that some are 
" after the flesh," and "mind the things of the 
flesh," and equally by choice that others "are 
after the Spirit, and mind the things of the 



OF THOUGHT. 39 

Spirit." And, of course, the subjects dwelt 
upon generate and strengthen thoughts cor- 
responding with their own nature ; and as are 
the thoughts, such will be the action of the 
mind. Hence "they that are after the flesh 
do mind the things of the flesh, but they 
that are after the Spirit, the things of the 
Spirit." "So, then, they that are in the flesh 
can not please God." And it is with poor 
grace that such persons plead inability to take 
a contrary course, seeing they have chosen 
this very course, and have actually sold them- 
selves to work iniquity. It is clear, then, it is 
a matter of consciousness, that while thought 
moves mind, mind has power to so control its 
own acting and thinking that its acting and 
thinking may be morally right or morally 
wrong. And all penal laws, whether human 
or divine, are based upon this very fact, and 
so are laws and customs which bv universal 
consent reward the well-doer. And God Al- 
mighty will finally say to such well-doers: 
"Well done, good and faithful servant, enter 
thou into the joy of thy Lord." Such rewards 
belong not to a mere machine, not to a mere 
animal, but to a moral agent. 



40 THE LAW 



CHAPTER V. 

Feelings, desires, etc., the result of thought — Mind does 
not receive or lose its essential properties either by 
connection or disconnection with the body — Ways in 
which thoughts are communicated to the mind — In- 
stances given in illustration, and the positions estab- 
lished with the certainty of fact. 

What are called feelings, emotions, desires, 
etc., are the result of thought. I do not now 
speak of mere animal feelings, such as hunger, 
thirst, weariness, etc. x — though even such feel- 
ings are greatly increased, if not originated by 
the sight or recollection of food, water, and 
the delightful place of rest, because in this 
way thoughts of these objects are suggested or 
communicated to the mind, and the thoughts 
produce the feeling while yet the thinker and 
the objects are distant from each other, — 
but I speak more especially of mental feel- 
ing ; and as thought and feeling are insepara- 
ble (the latter being the instant and sure result 



OF THOUGHT. 41 

of the former), I will at once take up the 
momentous question, How are thoughts com- 
municated to or produced in the mind? And, 
observe, I am now speaking of the human 
mind while yet in the body. How or to what 
extent the Holy Spirit may communicate 
thoughts to the human mind, independent of 
the bodily organs, I do not take upon me to 
say. That he does so, to a given extent, I have 
no doubt. Nor do I take upon me to say how 
or to what extent created spirits may com- 
municate thought, or present objects of thought 
to the human mind independent of the bodily 
organs. That they do so I have no doubt, 
probably always presenting to the mind an 
object calculated to suggest the thought de- 
signed to be communicated and adopted. But 
it always remains in the choice of the mind to 
approve or disapprove, receive or reject the 
thought thus presented, whether the body be 
asleep or awake, for no state of the body de- 
prives the mind of any of its essential properties. 
Mind is mind, whether the body is asleep, awake, 
or dead; mind is mind, whether in the body or 
out of the body. At a time when Paul's mind 
was most vigorous in its thinking and acting, 



42 THE LAW 

he says: "Whether in the body or out of the 
body, I can not tell." But this he could not 
say, as an inspired man, if the union of his mind 
with his living, waking body were essential to 
such thinking and acting. And from the account 
of Adam's creation we learn that his bodily or- 
ganism was perfect before the mind was com- 
municated to it, and, consequently, that the 
mind was equally perfect in its nature before the 
union of body and mind took place. Indeed it 
is no more absurd to say that I can not think 
and act unless I am in my study, than it is to 
sav that mind can not think and act unless it is 
in the body. In the body and in the study I 
can act in a different way from what I can out 
of them ; but whether in them or out of them, 
I am still the living, thinking being. Mere 
locality neither gives to nor takes from mind 
its essential properties, and one of these is 
the power to approve or disapprove, receive 
or reject what is presented, according to the 
recognized moral quality thereof. 

We are now prepared to repeat and prose- 
cute the inquiry, How are thought and feeling 
ordinarily communicated to the mind? I 
answer, Obviously through the medium of the 



OF THOUGHT. 43 

bodily organs, principally those of seeing 
and hearing. A few instances, belonging to 
different classes of thought, will, I think, suf- 
ficiently indicate my meaning and establish 
my position. The mariner sees indications of 
an approaching storm. This conveys to his 
mind the thought of danger. If he is not 
criminally careless, this thought will produce 
corresponding feeling and action. The result 
is, the ship is prepared, every man is at his 
post : the storm comes, the winds howl, and the 
angry billows carry the well-prepared ship 
upon their foaming crests; but she weathers 
the storm and safely reaches the port. Now, 
all the feeling and action of the mariners in this 
instance resulted from a single thought, and that 
thought was produced by seeing. Had they 
not seen they would not have felt and acted 
as they did, would not have had the thought 
necessary thereto, and would probably have 
perished. And, observe, it was mind that re- 
ceived the thought ; and that felt and acted as 
here stated. Such symptoms of an approach- 
ing storm would not thus move a mere animal, 
because a mere animal has not mind to receive 
the appropriate, the moving thought. 



44 THE LAW 

The object presented to the eye may be of 
great value, yet if it fail to suggest the appro- 
priate thought, the mind is unmoved. On the 
other hand, the object may in itself be value- 
less, yet very suggestive of thought, and in 
that way be productive of the most power- 
ful feelings. Hence a little boot, a toy, a lock 
of hair belonging to a departed child, will, on 
being presented to the eye of the mother, 
start the tear as quick as thought. Yes, that 
little boot, that little lock of hair, or even that 
little toy which the little hand now cold in 
death used to grasp so eagerly, is all-powerful 
to produce sobs and tears and agitate the 
strong frame of the father, as well as the 
more delicate frame of the mother. But how 
do such little things produce such effects ? 
Answer. By the thoughts which they suggest 
to the mind. On a certain occasion while the 
writer was preaching to a crowded congrega- 
tion, a lady instantly fainted while he was 
illustrating the power of thought. After- 
ward it was ascertained that one of the illus- 
trations brought vividly to her mind the 
thought of her own beloved child, who had 
long before been instantly killed by accident. 



OF THOUGHT. 45 

While the battle was raging before Sebastopol, 
certain ladies, and some officers off duty, were 
in a house at a distance. A mounted officer 
galloped up at full speed, dismounted, entered, 
and spoke, upon which a lady instantly faint- 
ed. What was it that produced this terrible 
effect? A single thought conveyed to her 
mind from the lips of that messenger; and that 
painful thought was the fact that her husband 
was among the slain. I have been informed 
of two instances wherein the hair of the head 
was turned gray in a few hours by the painful 
action of the mind; and that action was pro- 
duced by thought. Now, mark, in all of the 
cases specified the thoughts were such as 
could only be conveyed to mind; they could 
not be conveyed to mere animals of any 
kind. Such thoughts, like the truths of the 
decalogue, can only be communicated to mind; 
and such thoughts, when properly communi- 
cated to the mind, never fail to produce feeling 
and action corresponding with their nature. 
Sometimes the thought, the feeling, and the 
action resulting from a word spoken, or from 
the sight of an object, are so quick that they 
seem to be simultaneous. For instance, there 



46 THE LAW 

are two men conversing together. Both their 
bodies and their minds are at rest in conscious 
security; but one of them on turning his eyes 
downward sees a deadly serpent just about to 
strike its fang into him. What is the result ? 
Quick as the bounding of a ball he springs 
from the point of danger. Now what was it 
that moved, say one hundred and sixty pounds 
of matter thus quickly? No word fell upon 
his ear, no hand or other substance touched 
his body at all. What then, I ask, moved it 
so quickly? You say, The serpent. No; the 
serpent did not touch him at all, but the sight 
of it conveyed to his mind a single thought, — a 
thought of danger, — and that thought moved 
his mind, and his mind moved his body. And 
the sight, the thought, and the action of body 
and mind occurred in such rapid succession 
that they seemed to have been simultaneous 
and without reflection or purpose; but this 
only seems so, for the sight preceded the 
thought, the thought preceded the act of the 
mind, and the act of the mind preceded the 
motion of the body. The mind also judged 
in the case, and reached its conclusion before 
the will acted. In proof of all this I have only 



OF THOUGHT. . 47 

to assert that if the eye had not seen the ser- 
pent not one of the occurrences here specified 
would have taken place. And in proof of this, 
again, I offer as a living witness the other 
man, who saw not the serpent, and consequent- 
ly moved not. So numerous and quick are 
the thoughts and motions of the mind that a 
thousandth part of them are not noticed at all ; 
and more seldom still is the connection be- 
tween the thought, its cause, and the action 
resulting therefrom, observed, even by the 
party thus thinking and acting. This is spe- 
cially true of the more careless part of our race, 
and is a great evil ; for how can I be said to 
act intelligently if I do not know why or for 
what purpose I act? "Oh, that they were 
wise, that they understood this, that they 
would consider their latter end,'' for between 
their present actions and their final destiny 
there is a close connection. "A prudent man 
foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the 
simple pass on, and are punished." God has 
so ordered it that coming events cast their 
shadows before them. The "times" as well as 
the "sky" have their "signs," and to the pru- 
dent observer those signs suggest thoughts, 



48 THE LAW 

and those thoughts move such observers to 
prepare for coming events, avoid the evil and 
secure the good; but "the simple," the 
thoughtless unobservant ones, "pass on and 
are punished." These teachings have both 
their painful and happy illustrations in every- 
day life. 



OF THOUGHT. 49 



CHAPTER VI. 

Love and hatred, hope and fear, joy and sorrow, com- 
placence and disgust, approval and disapproval, with 
their corresponding actions, are all the result of 
thought— The bodily senses are only the mediums 
through which thoughts are communicated to the 
mind — You can not communicate moral ideas to mere 
animals, not because they lack bodily senses, but be- 
cause they lack mind — Scripture and fact adduced — 
We may be forced to hear and see, but can not be 
forced to approve the thoughts thus presented — By 
choosing our position and company we may to a large 
extent determine what our thoughts shall be — Origin 
of moral evil — No thought, whether good or bad, is 
mine till I adopt it— The assumption that mind is 
forced is fully considered and refuted. 

Love and hatred, hope and fear, joy and 
sorrow, complacence and disgust, approval 
and disapproval, with their corresponding 
actions, are all the result of thought. That of 
which I am completely ignorant can not pro- 
duce either feeling or action, unless such action 
as is produced in a machine. But the action 
that Is intelligent is the result of knowl- 
edge, and that knowledge is the result of 

4 



50 THE LAW 

thought. In fact, thought is knowledge. My 
thoughts are the complement of my knowl- 
edge, both as to quantity and quality. But 
my eye and my ear do not receive knowledge 
any more than my hand or my foot, they are 
merely the mediums through which the knowl- 
edge or thought is conveyed to the mind ; and 
by the thoughts thus conveyed the feelings 
and actions of the mind are produced. A 
horse has eyes and ears, and they are more 
quick to see certain objects and hear certain 
sounds than are mine, and so are those of a 
cat ; but you can not cotivey to those creatures 
a knowledge of moral law — a knowledge of 
God or of the things of God. Why ? Not be- 
cause they have not good eyes and ears, but 
because they have no mind to receive such 
knowledge. Hence by such thoughts they are 
not moved at all. But let horses and cats see 
objects and hear sounds adapted to their na- 
ture, and corresponding action will be the 
result. And this is equally true of man. True, 
saints and sinners feel and act differently, but 
their feelings and actions result legitimately 
from the thoughts which they chose to re- 
ceive; and they choose to receive those that 



OF THOUGHT. • 51 

are adapted to the bent of their respective 
natures. And this also is clearly taught in 
Scripture. Of numerous passages I quote but 
one, believing it to be sufficient : "They are 
of the world: therefore speak they of the 
world, and the world heareth them. We are 
of God. He that knoweth God, heareth us ; 
he that is not of God, heareth not us." Thus 
it is that men choose both what they shall 
speak and what they shall hear, and this 
choice is in harmony with the bent of their 
respective natures. Speak the things of God 
to the people of God, and they will hear with 
profound attention and be moved accordingly; 
speak of the world to those who "are of the 
world/' and they will hear as readily and as 
attentively as the cat hears the mouse. But 
man, fallen man, can, by the grace of God, 
choose the right and reject the wrong. But 
to do this he must renounce himself: and right 
here is the point of difficulty. Hence it is 
that so many choose to speak and hear as the 
apostle here testifies; and the result is that 
both teachers and scholars alike become 
"earthly" and "sensual," if not "devilish" also. 
But although it may require a struggle to 



52 THE LAW 

"choose the better part/' it is worth a struggle 
to do so, for upon this choice, as upon a pivot, 
the scale turns for eternal life or eternal death. 
Moreover, the grace of God is all-sufficient 
even for this struggle : therefore, "choose you 
this day whom ye will serve." I do not forget 
the fact that there are many things which we 
must hear and see, like Lot in Sodom ; but we 
are not forced to receive the thoughts suggest- 
ed by such sights and sounds, much less are we 
forced to approve of them. Both the eye and 
the ear, and all other faculties and powers, are 
under the control of the will ; hence we are 
accountable for the use we make of them. 
Moreover, we have, to a large extent, the 
right and power of choice as to our habitation, 
location, and company. We may for a time, by 
force of circumstances, have to "sojourn in 
Mesech," and "dwell in the tents of Kedar," 
but for the most part we may choose a better 
place of abode ; we may be in the house of 
God, or in our own house, rather than in the 
gambling-house or the theater ; we may choose 
for our associates saints rather than sinners, 
and thus in a great measure choose to see and 
hear the good rather than the bad; and those 



OF THOUGHT. 53 

who make such a choice, and earnestly seek 
divine help, will always have providence in their 
favor : the lines will fall unto them in pleasant 
places/and they will have a goodly heritage. 
It is only necessary to say that all the exhorta- 
tions and promises from Genesis to Revela- 
tions go to support this view, and so do the 
prohibitions. And the promises to those who 
choose the course thus marked out are abso- 
lute. Take the following as a specimen: 
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the 
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the 
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the 
scornful. But his delight is in the law of the 
Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day 
and night. And he shall be like a tree planted 
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his 
fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not 
wither ; and whatsoever he doeth shall pros- 
per." Observe, these promises are absolute; 
and they embrace all good. And they are 
based on this one condition: avoid bad com- 
pany and bad counsel. This being done, all the 
rest will follow. For God in his gracious and 
providential economy will take care that the 
necessary instruction and life-giving influences 



54 THE LAW 

shall be extended to such persons; and the 
most dangerous, counteracting influences being 
avoided, the gracious and all-powerful influ- 
ences thus vouchsafed will be entirely success- 
ful. The following promise and its condition 
are to the same effect : "He that walketh with 
wise men shall be wise." This is absolute; and 
the words which follow give you the reverse, 
and add force to the preceding : "But a com- 
panion of fools shall be destroyed." The super- 
ficial reader of such declarations is, no doubt, 
ready to conclude that the causes here speci- 
fied are not adequate to results of such magni- 
tude ; but more careful reflection will result in 
a conviction that just such results must fol- 
low from such causes; for if thought, and 
thought only, moves mind, and I place my- 
self where my mind is supplied with wrong 
thoughts, they will certainly move me in the 
wrong direction. On the other hand, if I place 
myself where my mind is supplied with right 
thoughts, they will as certainly move me in the 
right direction. Hence the Scriptures abound 
with such declarations as the following : "In- 
cline your ear, and come unto me : hear, and 
your soul shall live; and I will make an ever- 



OF THOUGHT. 55 

lasting covenant with you, even the sure mer- 
cies of David." A contrary course and its con- 
sequences are thus stated by our blessed Lord : 
"Their eyes they have closed ; lest at any time 
they should see with their eyes, and hear with 
their ears, and should understand with their 
heart, and should be converted, and I should 
heal them." Further quotation is entirely un- 
necessary. All I claim is asserted in the 
above passages, and that in the most unmis- 
takable language. And all this is corroborated 
by the most indisputable facts of history and 
experience. Moreover, the whole is entirely 
within the grasp of our intelligence, and is 
even matter of consciousness. Mind is not 
moved by physical force of any kind. . Mind 
is moved by thought, and by thought alone ; 
and as is the thought, such is the action. And, 
by the way, this train of thought offers an 
easy solution of the vexed question — "the 
origin of moral evil." Subjection to God and 
his law was, in holy angels, a fact of con- 
sciousness. This fact suggested the thought of 
"possible insubjection, just as a straight line sug- 
gests the possibilty of a crooked one. But 
this conception, which was natural and proper 



56 THE LAW 

to the intelligence God had given them, laid 
them under no necessity to throw off their 
subjection and rebel against their infinitely 
righteous Governor and his holy law. On the 
contrary, the previous thought, that of moral 
rectitude and its happy consequences, laid them 
under every obligation to continue in subjec- 
tion to their righteous and benevolent Creator 
and Sovereign, and to his holy laws. Nor did 
such thoughts at all force them to continued 
subjection, but evidently left them in the en- 
tire possession of their freedom. Some of them, 
however, followed the wrong rather than the 
right thought, while others followed the right 
rather than the wrong thought ; and the result 
was that the latter remained holy and happy 
angels of light, while the former, following the 
wrong thought, "left their own habitation/ 5 
became demons, and are "reserved in everlast- 
ing chains under darkness unto the judgment 
of the great day." In the same way it was 
that Eve fell, with this difference : the evil 
thought which she followed was suggested by 
the serpent, and the evil thought which Adam 
followed was suggested by Eve after her fall. 
But neither were our first parents under any 



OF THOUGHT. 57 

necessity to comply with the evil thought thus 
suggested; on the contrary, they were, like 
the angels, under every obligation to follow 
the righteous thoughts or teachings previously 
communicated to them from and by their 
Sovereign and Creator. And they were en- 
tirely able to do so, though not forced; nor 
could they be forced, by either the good or evil 
thoughts. And just so it is with the children 
of Adam ; they are not forced by either good 
or evil thoughts ; they are always free to 
accept or reject either one or the other, but 
are morally bound to accept the right and re- 
ject the wrong when so recognized. Physical 
force may be brought to bear upon the body; 
but even then the mind is free, and grace is 
sufficient. This freedom is essential to mind : 
when it is lost, the soul is lost. 

It should be observed, too, in this connec- 
tion, that we not only have power to reject 
the evil thought and accept the good when 
presented, but also power to place ourselves 
where more good and less evil thoughts will 
be presented. And I apprehend that a right 
disposal of ourselves in this regard is a very 
important part of wisdom; and upon it our 



58 



THE LAW 



salvation very much depends. And if any one 
should say that the thoughts presented at any 
time were so numerous, bad, and powerful, 
that he could not resist them, I would at once 
say to such, then you had no business there, 
and your guilt largely, if not wholly, consists in 
your being there. If you had been where God 
would have you be, you would have been sup- 
plied with good thoughts, and if evil agencies 
were permitted to present evil thoughts, God 
would have given you power to resist them. 
But observe, when men move, whether right 
or wrong, they are moved by thoughts 
which are theirs by adoption, for no thought, 
whether good or bad, is mine till I adopt it; 
and I can not be forced to adopt it. There may 
be strong temptation to do so, but the adopting 
act is my own free act; and such an act always 
excludes the idea of force. In short, that 
which is the result of force must always be 
attributed to the party who employs the force, 
not to the party or thing forced ; indeed the 
latter must have presented opposition in the 
case, otherwise forcing power could have no 
existence. Where opposition is not, the only 
power that can be introduced is helping power. 



OF THOUGHT. 59 

In short, the supposition that mind can be 
forced to an unwilling act always implies a 
contradiction ; for if it is a forced act it is not a 
willing act, and if it is a willing act it is not 
forced. 



60 THE LAW 



CHAPTER VII. 

Order of thinking, feeling, and acting — How habits are 
formed and the character molded — Thought the final 
cause of all — "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he," 
not as he saith. 

Thinking, feeling, and acting are much 
in the following order : Certain evil thoughts, 
apparently harmless, when not scrutinized, 
or at least not very alarming, are suggested, 
and the suggesting cause is often unob- 
served. Such thoughts being adopted by 
the mind are carelessly dwelt upon, as 
matters of curiosity it may be. From these 
result other thoughts still more forcible, or 
additional and more forcible thoughts may 
be suggested by the evil agent who suggested 
the first. Finally an outward act, or course 
of action, is suggested, but with more or less 
boldness as the mind seems inclined or disin- 
clined to yield. Opposing thoughts are sug- 



Of THOUGHT. 61 

gested, and for a time, longer or shorter, there 
is a struggle in the mind ; but having yielded 
to the incipient evil thoughts, I am now in 
circumstances still more favorable to evil 
thoughts, and they are suggested accordingly, 
and become more and more numerous, and 
more and more powerful, while I am becoming 
less able and less disposed to resist them. At 
length the mind yields to their force, and the 
outward act is committed. Of course the 
order is the same with regard to good thoughts. 
They, when yielded Wand adopted, increase in 
number and strength; and the outward acts 
resulting therefrom place us in circumstances 
still more favorable to such thoughts, so that 
they multiply more and more; and the mind 
becoming more and more familiar with such 
thoughts, yields to and adopts them with in- 
creasing ease and pleasure, till finally such 
thinking and acting become habitual. Thus 
it is that both good and bad habits are 
formed, and each the legitimate result of 
thoughts which prevail in and occupy the 
mind. 

As are the prevailing thoughts, such are the 
prevailing feelings and actions, and such are the 



62 THE LAW 

habits ; and by thoughts, feelings, and actions 
thus produced the character is formed, for 
feelings and actions when produced co-operate 
with their producing cause in forming the 
character. But thought is the final cause of 
all. Thus liberal thoughts will produce a liberal 
character, niggardly thoughts a niggardly char- 
acter, bigoted thoughts a bigoted character, 
cowardly thoughts a cowardly character, 
heroic thoughts a heroic character, and so on 
through the entire chapter. So true it is, that 
"as a man thinketh in his heart so is be." If 
his thoughts are those of an infidel, he is an 
infidel ; if those of an atheist, he is an athiest ; 
if those of a scoundrel, he is a scoundrel ; and 
if those of a Christian, he is a Christian. 
When a man's words are a truthful expression 
of his thoughts, when "out of the abundance 
of his heart his mouth speaketh," his words 
testify to his character. But bad men do not 
always speak as they think, hence it is said, 
"as he thinketh, so is he;" not as he speaketh, 
for his words may be those of a saint, while his 
thoughts are those of a devil. Thoughts, 
feelings, volitions, and the outward acts result- 
ing therefrom, form and fix the character, and 



OF THOUGHT. 63 

determine the final destiny of every man ; and 
the thoughts which produce such momentous 
results, result principally from what we see 
and hear. 



64 THE LAW 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Various types of character presented — Six different 
types of character in six children of the same parents 
— The types of character produced by different re- 
ligious schools — Outlines of character impressed both 
easily and unalterably at an early age — Instances are 
given — Even conversion and inspiration do not wholly 
remove the outlines thus impressed. 

Various types of character which may be 
considered consistent with a state of salvation 
demand a passing notice, for they, too, result 
from the prevailing thoughts which occupy 
the mind during a given period. Vou may 
take, say, six children, the offspring of the 
same parents, and produce six very different 
types of character. Take one, on being born, 
and give it to an Englishwoman, and let her 
nurse and bring it up with her own children, 
without any distinction. All it hears and sees 
is strictly English. In the domestic circle, in 
the schools to which it is sent, and, in short, 
wherever it goes, all it hears and sees is strictly 
English— English history in prose and verse, 
Enlgish politics, English customs, English 



OF THOUGHT. 65 

people, English scenery, English everything. 
Kow what is the result of all this? Just this: 
by the time that individual is twenty-one 
years of age, if not before, he will have the 
English type of character fully developed: and 
if you place yourself offensively in his way 
you will probably find that John Bull's horns 
are fully grown at that age. Take another 
infant, the offspring of the same parents, and 
give it to a Scotchwoman, and let her nurse 
it and bring it up with her own children, in 
short, let its entire education be as thoroughly 
Scotch as that of the other was English ; the 
result will be, that at the age of twenty-one 
you will have a full-grown Scotchman, "canny" 
enough, and clannish enough. He will feel 
Scotch, think Scotch, talk Scotch, sing Scotch, 
and take great pleasure in talking about 
"Willy Wallace/' "Robby Bruce," John Knox, 
and other Scotch notables ; in a word, he will 
be as unalterably "Scotch Sanny" as the 
other is "John Bull." Take a third infant, 
the offspring of the same parents, and give it 
to an Irishwoman, and let its bringing up and 
its entire education be as thoroughly Irish as 
those of the others were English and Scotch; the 
5 



66 THE LAW 

result will be a full-grown dancing, whistling 
Irishman. Take a fourth infant from the same 
parents; give it to a Frenchwoman, and let 
its bringing up and its entire education be 
thoroughly French ; the result will be a 
French type of character. His talking and 
acting will be in the quick French style ; in a 
word, he will be a Frenchman all over. Take 
a fifth from the same parents ; give it to 
a Dutchwoman; let it be brought up and 
educated in Holland ; let it hear and see 
nothing but Dutch till it is twenty years of age ; 
the simple result will be that you will have a 
full-grown Dutchman, moving as slowly as the 
Frenchman moves quickly, and very likely a 
pipe in his mouth hanging down to the second 
or third button on his coat. Let the sixth 
child be brought up by its own parents in one 
of the New England states, and let its educa- 
tion be thoroughly Yankee ; let it be drilled in 
Yankee customs, hear Yankee speeches, read 
Yankee books, sing Yankee songs, in short, let 
all it hears and sees be Yankee, till it is 
twenty-one years of age; what then? Why, 
simply this, you will have a full-grown Yankee, 
body and soul. Thus you have six different 



OF THOUGHT. 67 

types of character in as many children, all of 
the same parents ; and each type is as true to 
the thoughts that produced it as the casting is 
to the mold. So true is it, that "as a man 
thinketh in his heart so is he." 

Take six infants of the same parents, and 
let them have their religious training and 
education for the first twenty-one years of 
their life in six different religious denom- 
inations, say those known as Presbyterian, 
Quaker, Episcopal, Lutheran, Baptist, and 
Methodist. And let us suppose that all six are 
converted. Now, although they are all one in 
Christ, and their religious experience sub- 
stantially one, yet there are six different types 
of character, just as distinct as are the pecul- 
iarities of the different denominations from 
which they had their education and training. 
And if they are all unconverted, which is quite 
possible, the different types of character will 
be still more distinct ; for in the work of salva- 
tion Christ breaks down the partition wall, 
and the work of grace in the soul has a level- 
ing, blending influence, and produces a won- 
derful oneness in those who experience it. 
Nevertheless, though all converted, the Meth- 



68 THE LAW 

odist, the Presbyterian, the Baptist, etc., are 
distinguished by different types of character, 
more or less distinct according to the different 
teachings received. If they are all unconverted, 
and consequently simply molded by the dis- 
tinctive peculiarities of their several denomi- 
nations, then their different types of character 
will probably be as objectionable as distinct. 
It is to such, probably, that certain offensive 
epithets have been applied, such as, "Hard- 
shelled Baptist," etc., etc.; for conviction, re- 
pentance, pardon, justification, regeneration, 
and sanctification break the hard shell all to 
pieces, and entire sanctification completely an- 
nihilates it. And the new class of thoughts 
now introduced considerably modifies the old 
type of character, so far as to remove what 
was offensive; but still a distinctive type is 
there, and will remain till death, beyond which 
we have nothing to say. These remarks, and 
the illustrative facts adduced, and numerous 
others which might be adduced, force us to 
the conclusion that every distinct school sends 
out its pupils with a type of character which 
is the legitimate and inevitable result of the 
teaching which it imparted. This, perhaps, 



OF THOUGHT. 69 

is especially the case with regard to schools 
which educate youth for the ministry. This 
is so evident that one who has given attention 
to the subject may distinguish the more strik- 
ing types of ministerial character almost at 
first sight. Indeed, one who has carefully 
studied the subject may tell a man's type of 
character though he never saw him, provided 
he knows where he received his education and 
training. It deserves a passing remark that 
those denominations whose ministers and 
members have frequent intercourse and fellow- 
ship are not quite as distinguishable as are 
those which have not, for each exerts a modi- 
fying influence upon the other, and each, being 
evangelical, is benefited thereby. Indeed I 
am inclined to believe that there is no other 
way of saving, at least some people, from be- 
ing wholly molded and fashioned by their pe- 
culiarities, rather than by the gospel. This is 
specially the case in those denominations 
where peculiarities abound, and almost, if not 
quite inevitable when vital godliness is want- 
ing. 

It is no part of my business here, even if I 
were competent, to say which of the denom- 



70 THE LAW 

inational schools produces the best type of 
character, upon the whole. It is only neces- 
sary to say to those who have youth to send 
to such schools, consider the subject well, and, 
having sought divine teaching, send your chil- 
dren to that school which you have reason to 
believe produces the best type of character. 
Of course the Methodist school will not pro- 
duce the Presbyterian type of character, nor 
will the Presbyterian school produce the 
Methodist type, nor will the Episcopal pro- 
duce either; and this is equally true of the 
other denominational schools. Therefore let 
all whom it may concern make an intelligent 
selection, for in doing so you are simply de- 
ciding what type of character your children 
shall have. But bury your children rather 
than send them to a school that is essentially 
defective in its religious teaching. Remember, 
"men do not gather grapes of thorns, nor figs 
of thistles." And in making your selection it 
will be well to keep in view that rule, by the 
same high authority, "by their fruits ye shall 
know them." If a school sends out its pupils 
denying or doubling the first principles of 
the Christian system, or greater admirers of 



OF THOUGHT. 71 

heathen philosophers than of inspired proph- 
ets and apostles, or doting about ritualistic 
trumpery, and other human inventions; if 
such is the type of character you desire your 
children to have, then send them to that 
school; but if you desire them to have the 
Christian type of character, then send them 
where such a type of character is given. But 
bury them rather than send them where they 
will become skeptics, Pharisees, or superstitious 
bigots. 

As my remarks on this subject are intended 
to exend to a complete type of character, 
national, political, and religious, I have fixed 
the period at twenty or twenty-one; but an 
unalterable type of character is fixed at a 
much earlier period. When quite young, 
children have almost absolute confidence in 
their parents, teachers, and guardians, par- 
ticularly the former. "Who has not heard the 
little innocent quote the parent, evidently 
believing such authority to be infallible and 
final. During that period it is that the im- 
pressions are easily and unalterably made; then 
it is that the molding is accomplished with 
certainty, and with comparative ease. Nor 



72 THE LAW 

are the impressions made at this time entirely 
obliterated at any after period; hence the pro- 
verbial saying, "as the twig is bent the tree's 
inclined." Neither conversion nor inspiration 
will entirely remove the impressions then 
made. The writer has been traveling in 
different countries, and conversing and min- 
gling with almost all sorts of people, but 
although by much effort he has altered much, 
and would gladly have altered more, of the 
early impressions made, much still remains 
unaltered and unalterable. The inspired writ- 
ers, despite their inspiration, had their differ- 
ent types of character. The classical polish 
that Paul received at the feet of Gamaliel, and 
elsewhere, and the rough finish that Peter 
received in the humble cot, or in the fishing- 
boat by the sea of Galilee, remained with 
them through all the varied scenes of their 
eventful and holy lives. In some respects 
those different types of character fitted them 
for different spheres of action. Hence Paul, 
or Saul of Tarsus, was sent to the gentiles, 
and was well qualified to preach to and argue 
with the savants of Greece and Rome, while 
Peter of Bethsaida was sent to the circum- 



OF THOUGHT. 73 

cision. And each in his own sphere did his 
work equally well; though a more highly 
finished type of character would have done 
Peter no harm, for his defective type of 
character, we think, sometimes involved him 
in difficulties. As for Paul, with his better 
finished type of character, he could turn to 
Jews or gentiles at pleasure; though at one 
time his Pharisaic type of character well-nigh 
proved his eternal ruin. But for this God had 
made gracious provision; and its application 
proved gloriously sufficient. But even the 
Pharisaic type of character, be it remembered, 
was the result of thought. 



74 THE LAW 



CHAPTER IX. 

How the character is formed in the home and in the 
public school — Unalterable outlines are impressed 
upon the mind as early as the age of six or seven 
years — Instances given — Parents, guardians, and 
teachers should appear, speak, look, and act in a way 
calculated to convey thoughts which produce the best 
type of character — It is a mistake to suppose that loud 
and angry words ase necessary to command obedience. 

It is a very common and a very great mis- 
take to suppose that we have gained our end 
when we have placed our children under 
teachers who can impart to them a knowledge 
of the different branches which we desire 
them to study. We forget the fact that only 
a small part of the thoughts which mold the 
character of the pupil come from the teacher 
while imparting a knowledge of such branches. 
Thoughts are conveyed to the youth by all 
they see and hear ; and all the thoughts thus 
conveyed contribute to the formation of the 
character. Their associates at school do more 



OF THOUGHT. 75 

to form their character than does the teacher. 
The teacher in a country school may have 
literary abilities equal to those of the teacher 
in the best city school, but it does not follow- 
that as good a type of character will be form- 
ed in the country as in the city school. Why? 
Just because a first-class city school is largely 
made up of youth who have received a clas- 
sical polish in their homes, and in the polite 
society in which they generally move ; hence 
they speak correctly, dress neatly, and act 
gracefully. Your children constantly hearing 
and seeing them, constantly conversing and 
acting with them, are formed into the same 
image and likeness, unless indeed they are 
brought under an adverse influence in their 
own homes, which is quite possible ; but wise 
parents will guard against this with the ut- 
most care. But the country school is princi- 
pally made up of children who have had no 
such advantages. Hence the words urbanity 
and rusticity have long been used to convey 
opposite ideas as to taste and culture. In 
short, if the home and the school are right 
the children will be right, and vice versa. It 
is principally at home, however, that children 



76 THE LAW 

receive their type of character, and that at a 
much earlier period than is generally supposed. 
The molding commences while the child is yet 
on its mother's lap. It proceeds rapidly when 
the little prattler is learning to speak and try- 
ing to form conceptions of all it hears and 
sees. By the time it is seven or eight years 
of age, perhaps before, the grand outlines of a 
given character are clearly distinguishable. 
"While sitting in a railroad car not long since 
I noticed a little child almost constantly fight- 
ing with its mother, and screaming at the top 
of its voice. It could not speak plain, but 
what it did say, or tried to say, was certainly 
in the broadest and coarsest Irish brogue I 
ever listened to; and in the quarrel between 
mother and child I noticed that the latter 
simply imitated the former, only in its greater 
effort to articulate the words it drawled them 
out broader and more dragging than did the 
mother. Everything considered, it seemed to 
me that the child was already spoiled while 
yet on the mother's lap. Its temper and its 
dialect were alike bad, and if the same process 
which I witnessed should continue for a few 
years, both would certainly be incurable, 



OF THOUGHT. 77 

though they might be somewhat mended. 
Another child I saw fighting with its mother 
almost constantly; sometimes she would 
laugh at it, while at other times she would 
fly into a passion, scream at, and strike it; 
but in every instance the child triumphed 
and took its own way. I concluded, of 
course, that a good mold of character under 
such circumstances is simply impossible. 
To produce a good mold of character, par- 
ents, guardians, and teachers should appear, 
speak, look, and act in a way calculated 
to make the best impression ; for in all those 
ways thoughts are conveyed to the young 
mind ; and all the thoughts conveyed in these 
and in all other ways are exerting a molding 
influence. It is a common mistake to suppose 
that loud, angry, threatening words are neces- 
sary to maintain authority over children. 
Not so. Mild, gentle, kind, calm, deliberate, 
firm words and acts are infinitely better, even 
for the purpose of obtaining and maintaining 
authoritative government over them, and 
absolutely necessary to produce a proper mold 
of character. Everything rough and slovenly 
in appearance, together with loud and angry 



78 THE LAW 

words, should be avoided by all who have the 
care and training of children. And all who 
speak in their presence should try to speak as 
correctly as they would before a polite audi- 
ence ; for a child will learn to speak correctly 
just as readily as it learns to speak incorrectly. 
As to those who are cruel, passionate, profane, 
children should be preserved from all contact 
with them, just as carefully as you would 
preserve them from fire and pestilence. 
Thoughts are conveyed by all that is seen and 
heard; and thoughts move the mind, the 
tongue, the hand, the feet, the whole man. 
And thoughts and motions constantly re- 
peated form the character and fix the habits ; 
and after a given time the character and 
habits become unalterable. From the time 
the child is capable of hearing and seeing, the 
molding process is going on, and should be 
conducted with as much care as that with 
which the accomplished artist produces the 
life-like figure, not at random, but by copying 
the best original. 



OF THOUGHT. 79 



CHAPTER X. 

What is said to be hereditary is considered, and mistakes 
pointed out — Thoughts produce mental, moral, and 
physical comeliness and uncomeliness — Divine teaching 
and grace essential — Both the original and the new 
man are God's workmanship — The true character is 
supernatural both in its nature and bestowment — Human 
agency and divine truth are employed to this end — 
The difference between revealed and what is called 
natural religion pointed out. 

"While speaking of the character that is 
formed and molded as above specified, we 
have not forgotten, nor are we disposed to 
deny, that which is said to be hereditary. We 
only affirm that the character described is 
formed in the way specified. Moreover, that 
which is wrong in what is inherited, both 
physical and moral, originated in the same way 
as we have shown. When our first parents 
adopted and acted upon the thoughts sug- 
gested by the serpent, then the change took 
place, mentally, morally, and physically; not 
before. Then Adam begat a son in his own 



80 THE LAW 

image and likeness; and since then human 
beings have been conceived in sin and shapen in 
iniquity; so that the whole, whether heredi- 
tary or otherwise, is traced to the same cause. 
Nor do I hesitate to say that the various 
physiognomies, comely and uncomely, after 
the first created pair, result from the same 
cause. Where refined thought prevails from 
generation to generation there comeliness pre- 
vails, and vice versa. Where uncomeliness 
prevails, you will find that the prevailing 
thoughts are as uncomely as the physiognomy. 
To this rule, as to other rules, there are ex- 
ceptions, of course; perhaps by divine inter- 
position, as intimated in John ix. 3, perhaps in 
some other way. But even in such cases evil 
thoughts and the acts resulting therefrom are 
the final cause, for if sin had not entered de- 
formity would not have existed. 

But remember, in attempting to mold the 
character of fallen humanity the best efforts 
will prove a serious failure unless God's bless- 
ing is sought— ^unless the divine teaching is 
followed from first to last. Away with your 
deism, your natural religion, "for by grace are 
ye saved through faith; and that not of 



OF THOUGHT. 81 

yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of 
works, lest any man should boast. For we 
are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 
unto good works, which God hath before 
ordained that we should walk in them." "The 
new man is created in righteousness and true 
holiness;" "is renewed in knowledge after the 
Image of him that created him." Thus both 
the original and "the new man" are alike 
4 <God's workmanship." JSTone but he who at 
first "created man in his own image," can re- 
store that image to fallen man. In this great 
work God employs human agency and his 
own truth: "Being born again, not of cor- 
ruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the 
word of God, which liveth and abideth for- 
ever." Again, "Sanctify them by thy truth; 
thy word is truth." The human agency is as 
distinctly specified: "Delivering thee from the 
people, and from the gentiles, unto whom now 
I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn 
them from darkness to light, and from the 
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive 
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among 
them which are sanctified by faith that is in 
me." Let none suppose, therefore, that merely 

# 6 



82 THE LAW 

human effort, however well devised and ap- 
plied, will give to man that perfect mold of 
character which he lost by the fall — that which 
he must have, if he would finally have a place 
in heaven. Such a, character is supernatural 
both in its nature and bestowment. 

"Except the Lord conduct the plan, 
The best concerted schemes are vain, 

And never can succeed ; 
We spend our wretched strength for naught; 
But if our works in thee be wrought, 

They shall be blest indeed." 

There was a time when Charles Wesley had 
not the clear and vital thoughts so beautifully 
expressed in the above lines. And during 
that period, which was long, he and his brother 
John worked with a degree of energy and 
honesty seldom if ever exceeded. But, alas ! 
they " spent their wretched strength for 
naught;" they utterly failed to renew either 
themselves or others after the image of him 
that created them. But when the appropriate 
thoughts came and were received by faith, and 
applied by the Holy Spirit, a glorious change 
was soon produced; and from that time they 
had "power with God and with men." And 



OP THOUGHT. 83 

observe, the thoughts essential to these results 
do not, can not, come by seeing, but by hearing, 
and by hearing only. 

This leads us to notice the grand, the essen- 
tial difference between revealed and what is 
called natural religion. The faith of deists, if 
they have anything worthy of that name, con- 
fessedly comes by seeing; and limited as is the 
range of the eye, just so limited is the range 
of their faith, while they adhere to their prin- 
ciple. And their hopes, of course, are equally 
limited, and so is their knowledge, and, in short, 
all their intellectual and moral attainments. 
Now any one who will carefully notice the 
nature and extent of the thoughts which come 
by seeing, and the nature and extent of those 
which come by hearing, will see at a glance the 
immense difference between deism or natural 
religion on the one hand, and revealed re- 
ligion on the other. The objects of this sight 
are material only. And the range of this sight, 
even when aided by the telescope and by our 
limited means of bodily motion, is also very 
limited; and being earthly minded and carnal, 
our disposition and ability to draw inference 
from what we do see is still more limited, and 



84 THE LAW 

often very erroneous, for it is natural to infer 
and reach conclusions in harmony with our 
carnal views and dispositions. In the light of 
these facts, for they are facts, we begin to feel 
the force of such inspired declarations as the 
following: "The natural man receiveth not 
the things of the Spirit of God : for they are 
foolishness unto him; neither can he know 
them, because they are spiritually discerned. 57 
"We walk by faith, not by sight." "Faith 
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word 
of God." "How then shall they call on him 
in whom they have not believed? and how 
shall they believe in him of whom they have 
not heard? and how shall they hear without 
a preacher ? and how shall they preach, except 
they be sent ?" The hearing, sending, preaching f 
believing, calling, here specified, are inseparably 
connected; and observe, the whole is exclud- 
ed by deism, and all other systems which 
exclude or reject revelation and depend on 
seeing alone, for there is no medium* 



OF THOUGHT. 85 



CHAPTER XL 

The use and limitation of reason in religion. 

Before we can speak intelligently either of 
the use or limit of reason, we must first have 
some fixed idea as to what reason is ; in other 
words, in what sense do we use the word? 
Time would fail even to quote the numerous 
and conflicting definitions which have been 
given of this word, nor will I trouble myself 
or others by attempting to quote them. Yet 
it is necessary, as I have already said, to use 
this word with some definite and understood 
signification. Doubtless our word reason is 
from the Latin ratio, which designates the 
action, not the actor. In Scripture, the word 
reason, as a substantive, occurs but once, 
namely, in Daniel iv. 36, thus, "At the same 
time my reason returned to me." But turning 
to the Septuagint, I find the word there used 
isphren, mind. The word "reasonable" occurs 



86 THE LAW 

once, namely, .Romans xii. 1, thus, "Which is 
your reasonable service/' Here the word is 
logikos. In I. Peter iii. 15, the word is logon. 
In Prov. xxvi. 16, the word translated reason 
is still farther from conveying the idea of a 
faculty; it signifies a, precept offered in justi- 
fication of a high claim to wisdom, on the 
part of the party referred to. Eeason, as 
a verb, occurs often. As an instance we 
refer to Matt. xvi. 8, — "Why reason ye 
among yourselves." Here, too, the word 
translated reason is derived from logos, a 
word spoken. In Isaiah i. 18, the well-known 
words occur, "Come now, and let us reason 
together, saith the Lord." Here, too, the word 
translated reason signifies the words spoken, 
or proposed to be spoken, not the speakers, or 
any of their faculties. It appears, then, that 
in Scripture the word signifies an act of the 
mind, not the actor, either person or faculty. 
If the act is proper, it is said to be reason- 
able; if otherwise, unreasonable. For an in- 
stance of the latter word I refer to Acts xvi. 
27, where the words are, "For it seemeth to 
me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not 
withal to signify the crimes laid against him." 



OF THOUGHT. 87 

Here the word translated unreasonable is logon, 
which also refers to mental action. 

The human mind, soul, or spirit is a unit, is 
indivisible; and the practice of attempting to 
divide it into parts or faculties has led to nu- 
merous errors, and confounding the action and 
the actor is one of them. Moreover, by speak- 
ing of the faculties of the mind we are led, in- 
sensibly perhaps, to think and speak of them as 
we do of the members of the body; and I 
apprehend this gross way of thinking and 
speaking of spirit has led to the monstrous 
production called anthropomorphitism — that 
is, conceiving of the Almighty as being a huge 
animal in human shape ! Instead of ascribing 
various actions to so many various faculties, 
it is much better simply to predicate them 
of the mind, spirit, or soul; in a word, the 
Ego. This is what we always do when we 
follow Scripture and common sense. Then 
we say, I, you, he did, or said this, that, or 
the other. In courts of justice it is the man 
that is tried, condemned, or acquitted, not 
his faculties. It may be well enough, and 
there may be a kind of necessity to say, my 
eye sees, my ear hears, my mouth speaks, my 



88 THE LAW 

hands strike, my feet walk; but we should 
bear in mind that these members bear the 
same relation to the mind, the real Ego, that 
the sword bears to the hand that wields it. I, 
myself, do all these things, and these organs 
are merely the instruments which I use. In 
like manner, what is predicated of the reason 
is simply one kind of mental action. Sir John 
Davis, when speaking of the soul, somewhat 
forcibly expresses this idea, thus : 

"When she rates things, and moves from ground to ground, 

The name of reason she acquires from this ; 
But when by reason she the truth hath found, 
And standeth fixt, she understanding is." 

The amount is this : The words reason and 
understanding are used to indicate the varied 
actions of one and the same soul, which rea- 
sons, understands, hears, sees, etc. 

Using the words "use and limitations of 
reason in religion," then, as indicating the 
legitimate action and responsibility of the 
human soul in regard to matters of religion, 
we will proceed to the direct consideration of 
our thesis. 

And first, it is necessarj', I apprehend, to 



OF THOUGHT. 89 

specify what class of minds it is we speak of. 
All minors must be left out of the question. 
And as to the heathen, we can not speak of 
them as we would of those who are enlight- 
ened by revelation ; nor can we speak of the 
unregenerate as we would of those who are 
born of the Spirit, born from above. Of the 
"natural man," Scripture saith, "He receiveth 
not the things of the Spirit of God, neither 
can he know them, for they are spiritually 
discerned," and that spiritual discernment he 
has not till he is the subject of that mighty 
work of the Spirit by which he passes from 
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
to God. Hence, the "limitation" must be 
as different as are those different classes of 
mind. 

We may now suppose a case which will, we 
think, afford an answer to the general question. 
A prophet, or an apostle, gives religious in- 
struction to his fellow-men, and declares that 
he received it from God for that purpose. We 
will also suppose that the instruction which 
they thus receive is entirely new to them. 
Now, inasmuch as there are several who are 
called god, the question arises, "From which 



90 THE LAW 

of them did you receive it?" He answers, we 
will suppose, "From the G-od of Israel." But 
this gives rise to another question, namely, 
"How are we to know this ? as yet we have only 
your word for it." The prophet now calls upon 
his God to bear witness to his own truth, as in 
the case of Elijah, when the rain was withheld 
and given in answer to the prophet's prayer, 
as was the supernatural fire also. But there is 
yet one difficulty to meet, and only one. It is 
this : The worshipers of another god claim 
that their god is equal, and even superior, to 
the prophet's God, and, consequently, that 
they have as good reason for worshiping 
their god as the prophet has for worshiping 
his. This claim is easily tested, simply by 
telling those idolaters to request their god 
to do what the God of Israel can not do, 
or at least to imitate him in what he has 
done. And this is precisely what Moses 
and Elijah did; and the result was, as it 
always must be, "There was no voice, neither 
any that regarded." Hence, with such de- 
monstrative tests before our eyes, our com- 
mon intelligence leads us to exclaim, as did 
the people on Carmel, "The Lord he is the 



1 



OF THOUGHT. 91 



God, the Lord he is the God." And here, 
precisely, is "the use of reason ;" in other 
\Vords, the province of human intelligence, 
and its limit, too ! For, having satisfactory 
evidence that the revelation is from God 
Almighty, as in the case before us, it were 
absurd, if not blasphemous, further to object or 
question : for such objections imply that God 
Almighty may mistake as to what should be 
taught, or command what is unjust; which is 
palpably impossible — for the being that can 
do this can not be Almighty ! It is hardly 
necessary to add that he who objects to reve- 
lation, after he has evidence that God Al- 
mighty is its author, does thereby claim to be 
greater than the Almighty: and to ask more 
than that God Almighty is its author, is to ask 
what is more than infinite ! In short, we are 
bound up to this alternative, namely, to accept 
revelation without question, or deny that 
God Almighty is its author. And to deny that 
God Almighty is its author, is to deny our 
intelligence and matter of fact; for the evi- 
dences are matters of fact which are palpable 
to our intelligence. 

Other instances of "the use of reason in re- 



92 THE LAW 

ligion," or the province of human intelligence, 
will easily suggest themselves. For instance, 
you are not sure that the instruction given 
you is from the Bible, though it claims to be ; 
then it is your privilege and duty to " search 
the Scriptures whether these things are so." 
This is the province of human intelligence — 
"Try the spirits whether they be of God ; be- 
cause many false prophets are gone out into 
the world." "To the law and to the testimony ; 
if they speak not according to these, it is be- 
cause there is no light in them." The Bible, 
then, is the touch-stone to try the metals ; the 
detector to detect the counterfeit currency; the 
straight-edge to detect the crooked lines. And 
for all this the human intelligence is fully 
competent, especially when enlightened by the 
Holy Spirit in answer to prayer. 

The human intelligence, even in a heathen 
state, is capable to some extent of approving 
moral excellence, for "a measure of grace is 
given to every man to profit withal." "Jesus 
Christ is the true light that lighteth every 
man that cometh into the world." Of course 
this ability is much greater in those who enjoy 
the light of revelation; and much greater 



OF THOUGHT. 93 

still in those who are born of the Spirit; 
and yet greater in those who are sanctified 
wholly, and who pray earnestly for the teach- 
ings of the Holy Spirit, Hence these words, 
John ii. 20, "But ye have an unction from the 
Holy One, and ye know all things." Such are 
some of the ways in which the human intelli- 
gence varies as to its power to judge in matters 
of religion. The moral excellence of revelation, 
when thus discovered, is what is called its 
internal evidence. But from what has been 
said, it will be seen that this evidence must 
be as various as are the different intellectual 
states. 

It must be observed, however, that all we 
have said with regard to the various abilities 
of the human intelligence to judge, only refers 
to what is revealed: of course our stock of 
knowledge is, or may be, vastly increased by 
inferences legitimately drawn from the princi- 
ples revealed to us. But the great principles 
of the Christian religion could not be discov- 
ered even by the most vigorous human intel- 
lect, independent of revelation. JTo human 
intellect could originate a conception of them; 
they are far above its powers of conception. 



94 THE LAW 

Indeed, the great principles of revelation are 
infinitely above the conceptive powers of any 
created intelligence, though entirely capable 
of recognizing and admiring them when re- 
vealed. This we conceive to be true of the 
following principles, for instance : 

1. The being and attributes of the God of 
the Bible. Such ideas infinitely transcend the 
most lofty conceptions of created intelligence. 
This knowledge can not be acquired by infer- 
ence, for that from which we have to draw our 
inference, be it what it may, is not God, and is 
therefore finite ; and the infinite can not be in- 
ferred from the finite , so that what is called 
the a posteriori argument is utterly excluded 
here, as being utterly inadapted and useless. 
And as to the a priori argument, of course it 
is still more obviously excluded, for to use it 
you have first to assume the point to be proved, 
and then proceed to prove your assumption 
from your assumption, which is absurd. In 
fact if God had not revealed himself this mode 
of argument to prove his being could never 
have been attempted, for the very attempt 
supposes the party making it to be already in 
possession of the idea of such a God. It is 



OF THOUGHT. 95 

only necessary to add that what we here claim 
to have proved is no more than Jesus Christ 
has asserted in the following words: "No man 
knoweth the Son but the Father; neither 
knoweth any man the Father save the Son, 
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal 
him." Thus the limit is again fixed. 

2. The mode of His being. Strictly speak- 
ing, this proposition is included in the preced- 
ing, but to have it clearly recognized, it is 
necessary to make it a distinct proposition. 
The mode of His being is a trinity in unity. 
This, too, infinitely transcends the most lofty 
conceptions of created intellect and again 
points out the limit of created intelligence in 
matters of religion. 

3. The salvation of fallen man by an atone- 
ment and that atonement by a union of the 
Divine and human natures in one person. This, 
too, is obviously beyond the most lofty concep- 
tion of created intelligence. This fact, too, is 
distinctly marked in Scripture. (See Rev. v.) 
So that here, too, the limit of reason, of created 
intelligence, in matters of religion, is distinctly 
marked. 

4. That faith is the condition of this salva- 



06 THE LAW 

tion. The inability of created intelligence to 
originate this conception is equally obvious, 
and is asserted or implied in numerous pas- 
sages of Holy Write So that here also, the 
limit is fixed. 

We will now simply specify a few additional 
particulars which are obviously, we think, be- 
yond the conceptions of the human intellect, 
whether they are or are not beyond the con- 
ceptions of all created intelligences. 

5. That God will answer prayer when offer- 
ed believingly in the name of the one Savior. 

6. That he will give the Holy Spirit in 
answer to prayer thus offered. 

7. That this Spirit instructs, regenerates, 
sanctifies, and comforts those who thus receive 
him. 

8. That there shall be a resurrection of the 
dead, both of the just and of the unjust 

9. That there is a providence extending to 
every person and thing. 

10. Man's origin, nature, and fall. 

11. That we must all appear before the 
judgment-seat of Christ, that every one shall 
receive according to the things done in the 
body ^whether good or bad. 



OF THOUGHT. 97 

12. A future and eternal existence in 
heaven or bell. 

All these particulars we hold to be beyond 
the conceptions of the human intellect, and 
most, if not all, we are inclined to think, beyond 
the conceptions of all created intelligences; but 
when revealed, even the human intelligence, 
when graciously assisted, is abundantly able 
to recognize, approve, and admire them, and 
act accordingly. 

Other particulars might be specified, but 
these, it is presumed, will suffice to point out 
"the limit and use of reason in religion." 

We will only add, that a careful considera- 
tion of the whole will not fail to result in 
numerous and very important practical sug- 
gestions. We will only notice a very few. 
When we have evidence, as we have, that the 
above revelations are from God Almighty, it is 
not only unwise, but impious, to quarrel with 
and reject them. "Shall he that contendeth 
with the Almighty instruct him? He that re- 
proveth God, let him answer it." "Woe unto 
him that striveth with his Maker! Let the 
potsherd strive with the potsherds of the 
earth." Another suggestion. If the doctrines 



98 THE LAW OF THOUGHT. 

are infinitely above the grasp of created intel- 
ligence, it is impossible for man to disprove 
them, though he may be capable of recogniz- 
ing and admiring them when revealed to him. 
It follows that while the doctrines of the Bible 
are established with all the certainty of fact, 
their very nature renders it impossible to dis- 
prove them. 



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